Offloading Training
Practical training in the pressure relief techniques that decide whether an ulcer closes.
Key Takeaways
- Pressure relief closes ulcers more reliably than any dressing choice.
- Total contact casting is highly effective and frequently applied badly.
- Device selection depends on ulcer site, deformity and patient circumstances.
- Compliance is a clinical problem to solve, not a patient failing to blame.
Why Does Offloading Deserve Dedicated Training?
Because it is the single most effective intervention for a plantar ulcer, and it is the one most often skipped. Clinics invest heavily in dressings while patients continue walking on the wound, and the ulcer stays open for months as a result.
Put simply, a wound cannot heal while it is being crushed twice a second all day.
What Is Taught?
- Total contact cast application, padding and safe removal
- Removable device fitting and how to check it is working
- Selecting between casting, boots, felted padding and prescribed footwear
- Pressure mapping interpretation and how it guides device design
- Recognising a device that is causing new pressure damage
- Practical strategies for improving adherence
Why Is Casting Technique So Important?
Because a poorly applied cast creates the very injury it was meant to prevent. Inadequate padding over the malleoli, an uneven interior or a cast applied over undetected infection can all cause serious harm. Consequently, application is taught practically with supervision rather than described.
How Is the Compliance Problem Addressed?
Honestly. Removable devices are removed, particularly indoors, and Indian households remove footwear inside as a matter of routine. Training therefore covers when a non removable device is the right answer, how to have a realistic conversation about it, and how to design around the reality rather than pretend it away.
Who Should Attend and What Does It Cost?
Doctors, nurses, podiatrists and orthotists managing foot ulcers, ideally attending as a clinic team. Fees depend on duration, with current dates available on enquiry through EDFC Academy.